Chapter 1238: Visiting to Apologize

Chapter 1238: Chapter 1238: Visiting to Apologize

Upon entering the hall, thanks to Jiang Feiyang’s warning, Pei Yan didn’t look at the people inside but first noticed the two large boxes placed in the courtyard. His Divine Sense swept over the boxes, and while he didn’t find anything unusual inside them, his bloodline slightly surged as if reacting to the contents.

This result made Pei Yan even more curious about what the other party had brought to see him. With such feelings, he strode into the hall, not greeting the guests, and sat directly in the main seat. Without any politeness or small talk, he straightforwardly said, "Speak, what brings you here? Are you here to demand an explanation for yesterday’s events?"

The Xiang family’s sworn brothers had been waiting inside for a whole day, and were somewhat restless and impatient. When the person they were waiting for finally appeared, Pei Yan’s straightforward attitude made them feel dissatisfied. However, due to his strength and their superior’s instructions, they had to maintain a smiling face. With Xiang Zixiong leading, they rose to salute Pei Yan; Xiang Zixiong responded, "Mr. Pei, you jest. Yesterday, it was my brother’s lack of understanding. My brothers and I had just returned from an external mission, and seeing my younger brother injured, I became anxious and impulsive. I hope you will forgive our rashness."

"Oh, it’s about that! I already said yesterday that considering the deep bond between your brothers, I won’t hold it against you. If it weren’t for your incessant chatter disturbing me, your third brother wouldn’t have been injured at all! Such a trivial matter doesn’t warrant a visit. Speak, what else do you have to say!" Pei Yan responded, not wanting to linger in the conversation, and spoke directly.

In the hall, the brothers exchanged glances and, after some eye contact, Xiang Zixiong approached and said, "Today’s visit to Mr. Pei has two purposes. First, our Commander-in-Chief Mao asks us to apologize for our negligence and the casualties caused to your side. To this end, we have prepared a gift list to slightly compensate for our mistakes. We hope Mr. Pei will accept it and forgive us."

As he spoke, Xiang Zixiong took out a gift list from his sleeve and respectfully handed it to Pei Yan.

"Oh!" Only then did Pei Yan’s tense face finally show a bit of a smile. He took the gift list from Xiang Zixiong’s hand, opened it, glanced through it, and his smile grew wider as he read, "Commander-in-Chief Mao, is it? Very polite, very polite indeed!"

While the gifts on this list were not particularly valuable—Pei Yan was no longer an inexperienced young man, carrying nine Divine Artifacts alone and having seen plenty of rare magical material along the way—even the mention of a Divine Artifact on the list would only slightly surprise him, not bring such delight.

One could only say this Commander Mao knew very well how to gift. The gifts included a large number of magical artifacts usable by Tier Five and Six Cultivators, not exactly precious in cultural value but highly costly in price. Over a thousand sets of these artifacts, which could be activated simply by infusing source energy into them for attack and defense purposes, were included. There were also over a hundred sets of more powerful magical artifacts designed for Tier Seven and higher abilities users. These gifts were akin to the clansmen delivered by Fenrir, meeting Pei Yan’s immediate needs and significantly enhancing the investigation hall’s overall combat capability.

"Ah, delivering over a thousand sets of magical artifacts is quite a lavish gesture! Being able to produce such a number all at once must mean they weren’t just stocked recently; rather, it’s long been in preparation, isn’t it?" Pei Yan closed the gift list and casually handed it to his sister standing next to him, smiled as he looked at Xiang Zixiong, and said, "Sit! Sit and talk! Come, the guests have arrived, why is there no tea served yet? Serve the tea quickly!"

Standing under the porch, Xia Yu and the others couldn’t help but cover their mouths and laugh at this scene. They had delivered a gift that touched Pei Yan’s heart, so it seemed today’s affair would not escalate further. Xia Yu winked at the team members behind her, and someone quickly went to the kitchen to bring out the prepared tea.

"Mr. Pei, our Commander Mao has long intended to foster a relationship with you, but he has been busy lately, which has delayed it. Actually, our move from behind the scenes to the forefront has partly been thanks to your influence, Mr. Pei. It can be said that within the Immortal Palace, the interests of the Embroidered Robe Envoys and Mr. Pei’s investigative group are the same." Xiang Zixiong thanked the servant for the tea, set it on the tea table beside him, and then shared the prepared speech they’d planned before coming.

Seeing Pei Yan nodding repeatedly, Xiang Zixiong couldn’t help but admire the fact that the Commander-in-Chief was indeed correct. Pei Yan, seeming unreasonable and difficult to deal with, was actually easily moved with small benefits due to his shallow roots. It appeared that the gift list indeed had a good effect. With this thought, he continued, "The mistake this time is indeed our fault. Due to a lack of manpower and a momentary lapse on my brother’s part, this outcome was caused. But this was never the intention of our Commander-in-Chief. Originally, these gifts were meant to be given to Mr. Pei’s investigation hall after the war began to express our alliance’s friendship, so they were prepared early. Unfortunately, they now have become compensation for our brothers, which truly makes us ashamed."

"No problem, no problem! Since it wasn’t intentional and Commander Mao is so sincere, if I were to hold grudges, it would only make me seem petty. Let’s consider this matter concluded, and I won’t bring it up again." Pei Yan generously waved his hand, leaned slightly towards Xiang Zixiong’s direction, and asked with a smile, "Tell me, what is the second matter?"

"Uh~!" Xiang Zixiong, seeing Pei Yan’s persistent questioning, hesitated a bit before continuing, "The second matter, well, is about my younger brother. I know he committed negligence, and it’s right for you to punish him! However, he is still my brother, and now he’s about to advance towards the Heavenly Dao. With his eyes injured, relying on external objects and expert treatment within a day or two, there’s hope for recovery; the sequelae won’t be too significant. If it drags on longer, it will affect his future in cultivating. So, I bravely request Mr. Pei to show mercy, reduce the punishment period, and allow him to recover first; we promise to atone for our wrongdoing afterwards."

"Oh!" Upon hearing this request, Pei Yan frowned slightly, leaned back again, and showed a somewhat disappointed expression on his face.

Seeing this, Xiang Zixiong quickly stood up and said, "Mr. Pei, regarding his mistake and our offense, we understand and won’t expect Mr. Pei to forgive my brother without reason, so we’ve prepared another gift list to present, hoping you will review it yourself."

"Oh?" This caught Pei Yan’s interest. His previous actions weren’t intended to extort Xiang Zixiong. The gifts they brought were already enough for him to forgive Xiang Zizhen’s mistake. He was just disappointed that the second condition wasn’t what he’d anticipated. But unexpectedly, after a slight delay in his response, Xiang Zixiong immediately presented a second gift list.

It’s unclear whether Xiang Zixiong was simply being too courteous or if Commander Mao had other intentions?